Placebo Effect 2

Question 1

Benedetti et al (2003) - Conscious Pain, conditioning cues reducing pain

Answer 1

Control - 12 minutes of pain

Verbal placebo increases and decreases pain respectively

Conditioning before:
On test, pain sensitivity was i the direction of suggestion, even when prior conditioning was in the opposite direction

INSTRUCTIONS OVERPOWER CONDITIONING IN THIS CASE

Question 2

Benedetti et al (2003) p Hormones (non-conscious)

Answer 2

Less idea of growths for consciousness as unaware what base level of hormones are.

Conditioned increase as expected

However conditioned placebo effect in this case overpowers instruction placebo

On test, hormone levels only changed in those given conditioning, there was no effect of suggestion

In non-conscious it is all about conditioning

Question 3

Length of placebo effect according to expectancy theory

Answer 3

Response expectancies are self‐reinforcing- No extinction

Question 4

According to expectancy theory why is there no extinction of placebo effect?

Answer 4

Placebo effects should not extinguish because the occurrence of a placebo effect reinforces the expectancy which it is based

Question 5

Length of placebo effect according to conditioning

Answer 5

Placebo effects will extinguish because presentation of the CS alone will weaken the CS-US association on which the placebo is based

Question 6

Colloca et al (2005): length of placebo using placebo electrode

Answer 6

Get a shock and tell you it reduces pain (placebo)

When screen goes red, electrode inactive, green active

Tested pain intensity during red and green light (actual same intensity) - immediate and 1 week later

Question 7

Results of Colloca et al (2005)

Answer 7

Rate pain less with green due to placebo

Also no within session extinction

1 week later placebo effect is reduced, some extinction, but not much within session

Question 8

Au yeung et al (2014): length of placebo with electrode placebo

Answer 8

Placebo effect diminishes overtime - more consistent with conditioning account

Question 9

Placebo vs nocebo on extinction

Answer 9

Looking at nocebo effect with identical design you don’t see any extinguishing of effect

May be due to anxiety and fear that interferes with extinction

Question 10

Almost all research of PE involves what reinforcement?

Answer 10

continuous reinforcement

Question 11

Why may partial reinforcement be more ecologically valid? (2)

Answer 11

1. Outside the lab you may have variability in your experiences, not like real treatments are always the same - more like real life
2. Partial Reinforcement Extinction Effect may
   meant that placebo effects established under partial reinforcement are more durable - longer lasting as it is slower to extinguish

Question 12

Au Yeung et al (2005): PE during partial reinforcement

Answer 12

Produces weaker but maintains over test phases and ends up the same

Partial reinforcement extinction effect

Question 13

Ader et al (2010)

Answer 13

Tested whether partial reinforcement could be used to boost the effect of a corticosteroid for psoriasisvia the placebo effect

Take steroid everyday in phases one and two or phase one everyday then partial during phase 2 (1 every for days)

Question 14

Results of Ader et al (2010)

Answer 14

The improvement in psoriasis in the PRF group was equivalent to that of CRF group…even though the PRF group received 25% of the active treatment

Question 15

Colaguiri: Nocebo with partial reinforcement

Answer 15

Both partial and continuous maintained

Partial reinforcement is lower

Question 16

Other way of getting PE other than direct experience?

Answer 16

Observational learning

Question 17

Colloca and Benedetti (2009): Observational learning of PE

Answer 17

Red and green light pain but watching someone else do it.

Found evidence of placebo analgesia even though no
direct experience of the surreptitious reduction…
This study suggests that placebo effects can be
established via social learning

That is, simply observing a treatment being effective in
others may be sufficient to produce a placebo effect
when you come to take the treatment